Saturday, May 28, 2005

A minor hiccup

How typical of the BBC in its Radio 4 programme "Any Questions" to front Bob Marshall Andrews, Timothy Garton Trash and Michael Gove as a representative line-up to deal with questions from the audience.

Thus, when it came to a question on the French referendum – the first as it happens – the Euro-luvvie tendency was to the fore, with only "moderniser" and soft-Europhile Gove there to put the "anti" side.

But what was particularly revealing was Garton-Trash saying that, if the French voted no, "we'll lose three of four years". Not a hint, then, of rethinking the "project", or listening to the people. Simply, a rejection by the people is minor hiccup, an irritation to be overcome.